I was able to move from Tijuana to San Ysidro.  I was  camping in abandoned property that I had spotted sometime ago. I was leaving the freeway camping site where I hung my hammock for weeks. The cops ran everyone off from this property then Aurelio insisted I leave his little place. I did instantly.  The Tijuana nightmare was finally over.  All my household wares and computers I stowed with him hoping to return soon. Soon turned into years.

      The night before I left that site by the freeway, a huge lightning storm moved down from the mountains.  All my preparations paid off as the rains drenched everything.  The trees sighed an audible relief as the ground became saturated with life giving water. It was time to go. I had been waiting for my money to arrive that would take me to my new home in Eugene.  I cashed out and made my way to Union Station in San Diego.  Much to my surprise, I was able to buy my ticket and immediately board the train North called the Coastal Starlight Express.  The price was now inflated from the quote I was given previously.  What can go wrong will go wrong.  I was going to be short for the first months rent.  Such is life.   

      The train was made up of 7 Amtrak coaches and a baggage car.  I chose the train because it is more comfortable than the airlines.  The seat converts into a bed.  There is a flip up panel that extends the seat into a semi bed.  However, no one tells you this.  You must explore your surroundings or you will travel uncomfortably.  Your first duty is to explore the train, find the observation deck, locate the bathrooms and meet your neighbors. There is food service. It is very expensive.  You are forced to get used to the inflated prices.

       The better idea is to pack enough food for the 2 day trip.  Make sandwiches and have some fruit ready to eat.  Oranges are good because they enhance your immune system.  Buy plenty of snack foods because your eyes seldom leave the beautiful scenes outside your window. 

       The American diet is failing us. Overweight people seems to be the norm.  It does not need to be that way.  Apply a little thought to improve your diet. 

    The California Coast is incredible.  Each moment brought a pastoral image that calms even the most troubled thoughts.  As the train moves along, the passengers sprawl so be prepared to step over legs and children as you make your way to the dining car for your 3 dollar instant coffee.   

     A train ride entails patience and preparation.  Remember to bring a case of bottled water. They fill the water tanks with city water.  They seldom flush these tanks built in the 50's. Be prepared to endure these matters of uncleanliness. Isolate yourself.  No worries.  You have survived worse than this.  The conductor is your friend.   If you are wealthy, then the Pullman coach might be the better choice since there are showers and bed clothes to wear. Your meals are served by the attendant in the traditional manner with a finger bowl to assist your cleanup. This is expensive though, as you will find out later.  No one is up front about money. You learn as you go.This is a two day trip arriving in Eugene around noon.  It was a shock to be dependent on the friendly people of Eugene. 

       I applied for work the same day I arrived. Making tofu is a skill I developed many years ago.  Unfortunately,  I failed to follow up on this promising job application.  My friends must have sold their Tofu business now thriving under different management.  I could have jumped back on the train but chose to explore Eugene 

     I asked for a place to stay and the older guy said the Eugene Mission.  I hadn't stayed in a mission for many years.  It was getting cold so that decision was an easy one to make. It was made for me.  This was the best of the best place for me, a homeless guy, by choice.

       At first,  they told me to come back the next day.   I was exhausted and thought finding a campsite in the failing light would lead to another terrible night.  In his next breath, he said wait..suddenly there was an open bed.  I was not looking forward to camping in the cold.   I immediately jumped in the shower and hit the rack for a deep sleep... I now know how animals feel that are left out in the cold and rain.

     God was certainly watching over me.  I could have become disillusioned.  Now I get 3 meals a day, a warm bed and shower every day. The Mission provides clean clothes and sturdy footwear if you are not particular about pre-owned clothing.  

      Free medical and dental are part of the program.  You must sign up for Medicare.  It is like joining a family.  It reminded me of the compassion of the Love Family and the Front Door Inn on Queen Anne Hill in one of the quietest neighborhoods in Seattle. This is my favorite home away from no where soon.

      Every night at the Front Door Inn there was impromptu music and singing with as much coffee as you dare imbibe.  I sat next to a World Class gypsy who was showing off some gems he collected in his travels.  He dropped one. I started to look for it but he stopped me.  Leave it for the cleaner to find. Typical thinking of the Love Family.

    I really enjoyed my time with this highly organized and devoted family.  All things have a beginning and an end.  My departure was sudden and without merit. There is so much more to tell.  I understand the Family has disbanded and the leader was injured in an unfortunate attack by criminals that left him severely injured.  These were some of the most beautiful people I had ever met. 

       The only catch at the Eugene Mission is you can't leave the lockdown unit for 2 weeks.   They move you to a little more freedom on the upper level.  The upper level is called R3.  It simply means more freedom to get your life back to normal. The food is cafeteria style and adequate.  This is all donated food from many sources so there is a feeling of abundance.

     My life now was a life of powdered eggs and bagels made the week before.  Wilderness camping in the city has never been this easy.  If I could open a chain of Missions, this would be the model.   It could be a solution for the homelessness in the big cities. A franchise much like McDonalds would be a great solution and a tremendous Christian Ministry.  All this could happen in a few short weeks with good leadership.  All of those churchmen are simply wasting their efforts without meeting the needs of the homeless.  These rescue centers have merit as an educational institution and a training center for building workers into self sufficient and dignified men and women. They ask for nothing, make no demands and allow me the freedom to write in my blog.  Writing is all I ever wanted to do.     I saved a seizure victim from a head first fall and summoned help immediately.  The medics came and transported him to the local ER. He came back the same day with a medication adjustment and a new attitude with gratitude.  There is no reward for a lifesaver.  This should change.

   Eugene Mission is very close to being a mental hospital. However a step down center sounds better.  You meet some strange people who simply make the rounds at these facilities.  Catholic Charities has a similar operation for the homeless of Eugene. Theirs is to provide free food at their pantry points in many west coast cities.

    Since Bush senior emptied the mental hospitals,  there has been no safety net for these folks.  This could be a wonderful solution for the homeless.  A Federal development of unused facilities like abandoned military bases around the nation could be something to be proud of or old hotels could also be turned into housing for young families.  You gotta start somewhere.

     St Vincent de Paul is here as well. Many come for help and safety.  This is like a step down unit for ex prisoners who are released to the streets with just 20 bucks cash.  It is very harsh for these guys.  The adjustment is challenging for anyone.

    How I got caught up in this malstorm is interesting.  I was simply looking for a room to rent and a good part time job.  I was directed here by a potential employer.  It has not been all bad.

    I am trained as a Medical Advocate.  My hospital skills can be useful to these types of facilities. Hopefully, they will put me in a staff position.  I can only accept paid work... my skills are valuable. 

    I am simply waiting for Svetlana to show up in the best possible situation.  She is still a few dollars away.    Hopefully, she can swing a loan for travel.  Maybe a rich patron will lend her frequent flier mileage.

    We are already planning on a family of two children.  I will be older.  I will be able to help her for a few years.  We will travel for a few months just to find our place together.  They keep warning me about the Russian marriage scam.  It does not matter.  I have many international friends who would like to become an American.  Marriage is just one way. 

    I had visited Eugene in the early 70's and remembered the kindness of the town.   Coming back to a familiar place brought a feeling of coming home from a war.  America has always been at war.  Sometimes America is at war with itself.   

     I walked into a co-op next to the train station and immediately felt I was among friends.  My doubts evaporated into the bright sunlight beaming down on me.

    It is the first time in many years, I am free of the druggie intimidation so rampant in Tijuana.   Sneaking away is the best way to go.   I have no idea how long this will last.  I am willing to wait.   I have absolutely no regrets. As far as I am concerned,  the Mexican experience was just another bad dream with greedy people looking for the American dollar.  

    The Mission is interesting.  It serves the homeless and downtrodden with all their needs, including housing referrals that really get one back to independence. It starts with a job doing something somewhere. 

    God bless this Christian outreach caring for the poor. I am willing to practice Medical Advocacy,  offering my skills at finding the right doctor to take care of these people.   Can I hire myself?  Might have to.

   This is a regulated life.  Interesting that all these guys think they are essential workers just misplaced by circumstances beyond their control. This is their first opportunity to make a real go of it for the many caught in the grinding poverty of America. To me, this is a vacation from my lifelong vacation.

    To illustrate what it is like at night...My bunk is between a schizo and a crack head ganglander. Both stay up all night either screaming at shadows or talking on the cellphone.  They manage to startle me awake throughout the night.  I complained but nothing is ever done to correct these odd behaviors. Sleepless in Eugene is my fate.           Medication for these guys would improve everyone's experience in this dorm.  Management is failing everyone here especially on the weekend when there is no management. ...catch 22.

    Welcome to scamland and mental illness caused by improper diet.  Has no one correlated this obvious connection?  A very strict diet would correct many human problems.  Take a lesson from Sports and Athletics.  They can take a skinny student and turn him into a sports star in the course of a semester.    As my Nutrition instructor said many times, diet and exercise is the way to perfect health.

   Eugene is full of old growth trees of many varieties.  The Fall is a wonderful and a very colorful experience.  The trees were planted by intelligent people at the turn of the century.  Even the shrubs show color at various times of the year.   

    The houses are colorful as well.  There are many artistic murals to admire.  This is a very subtle art colony making a statement in the form of housing. At every turn and encounter there is something that catches the eye.  Today I noticed a bamboo grove just a few steps beyond my normal path to the market.  The stillness of these groves inspire the poet.

     Christmas at the Mission was enjoyable with small gifts of socks and sweets, cards from children who sympathize with the homeless whom this Christian Mission serves in a most respectable way.  

It seems that opening similar places in big cities would go a long way to relieving the crisis of housing for the sick and infirm that will befall all of us at some point in our lives.  Better to have a place to go where one can feel welcomed,  fed and clothed.  

    A bunkhouse is for those cowboys who have been riding the range looking for comfort and shelter from the storms of life that sweep through humanity on a periodic basis.

   Some men join the military only to find themselves without a future. Here there is a very good chance of getting an apt and a job paying 13 hour.   

The Rose Garden is but a few miles away. It has been my experience that these immense gardens start blooming in May.

Saturday seems to bring out the homeless looking for that last quarter from the workers who have Saturday off.

We are already into March madness here. There has been a massive turnover of guests caught doing wrong.  They are forced to leave immediately without so much as a goodbye.  

I do not care one little bit since we are moving into an early Spring. 

     I am more concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Putzski better known as Putin has got to be the worst leader ever to appear on the world stage. When he is captured he will be tried along with the generals and inner circle of oligarchs who selfishly insist that Ukraine is Russian.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  

    Already the Hague is preparing a summons.  I just hope the French are able to shoot his ass out of the skies and save a few lives.  He has become a pariah and will be dealt with as such.

    Today is the first day of Spring.  March 22 turned up cloudy and cold with absolutely no rain. This is a rare Spring....the trees and shrubs are blooming away with their mystical purples and oranges.  The daffodils have been pushing their way into the hearts of little girls for weeks now.  I will stroll over to the Rose Garden nearby soon to take a few pictures and smell the Williamette River again. The joys of Eugene just got richer.

     

 
     As one thoughtful swami put it. I love Jesus. I love all kinds of cheeses. Provolone , Mozzarella, Cheddar and Jack. I love Colby too. Yes, I love cheeses a lot. He broke both his arms falling off a galloping horse. Gb found him laying in the field with the horse grazing nearby. It was cold that day. Lucky for him the hospital was only 150 miles away.  Could have been a lot worse.  It took many days to get back to some sort of normalcy. That was one long winter with the Hare Krsna sect. I did not stay much longer in Canada. I traveled back to Orcas for awhile then to Oregon and eventually back to Hawaii where I caught a ship to American Samoa and the Paradise of the South Pacific.
       Which is not really paradise. It only looks that way.  Everyone is still struggling for survival in this huge fish tank with many sharks circling you. They are called Street Sharks if you really want to know about them.  If they spot you they will make a mental note.  This is an information gathering session of just observing whether you travel alone or have friends who watch out for you. Then the stalking begins in earnest the next time they see you. You are hardly are aware of eyes upon you. If you are a dummy, you can be maneuvered into a corner and mugged.  Watch your time, place and circumstance. Don't carry your whole life on your back. Travel only in broad daylight and with others, if possible. Always have a plan of escape.  The reaper is waiting for you to lower your guard. MY plan is to sprint to the nearest cop.  Most muggers are overweight and stupid.

    But this is paradise... if you long for the ocean and sea breezes.  The swaying palms and the plumeria scents of the air. This paradise is expensive and not for the poor.   It is a job to be on vacation.  It can be hard work with little reward. You wind up complaining to yourself a lot.   Keep up the smile as you lose and lose more and more.

      Life is not meant for winning.  Life is meant to simply survive as long as you can. Like the old Chinese woman in Mitchner's Hawaii you live to survive.   She sat on her bed every night looking for signs of leprosy.  Only after a through examination did she allow herself sleep.  She carried on like that until the day she died.
The only cure for leprosy is isolation which is no cure at all. This was done on Molokai. We actually sailed there during our transit to the Big Isle. The old coconut plantations have been abandoned for some time now. Slowly nature is erasing mans' intrusion. The surf is still formidable. There is only a few moorings there. Visitors are not welcomed.
     We arrived at dusk. The surf was throwing up huge combers. We had to cross the reef to find a mooring buoy for the night.  It is tricky in the failing light.   Somehow or other we made the right choices and arrived safely. We tied up to a mooring can and settled in for the night with the sea breezes wafting us to sleep. We awoke and surveyed the situation after diving into the limpid, clear waters. Swimming in a school is best. We knew not what lurked below us.  Our breakfast awaited us on shore. All the green coconuts one could eat was ours for the gathering.  Denny and Francois left to follow the valley filled with rainbows and possibly fresh water. They did not return until dusk and filled us with tales of wild passion fruit and papaya.  We were seen by the leper colony but was not extended an invitation to visit since we had arrived unannounced.  Nothing to see here, move along.